Privacy protection method and apparatus for mobile terminal

ABSTRACT

A privacy protection method and apparatus for a mobile terminal are provided. The method includes specifying basic information, privacy protection indication, and fictitious information of a contact item to be recorded in a contact list, determining, when a contact is received from an external terminal, whether a privacy protection function is activated for the external terminal, and outputting, when the privacy protection function is activated for the external terminal, a contact reception screen and a contact handling screen that include pre-specified fictitious information of the external terminal and exclude pre-specified basic information thereon. As a result, when a contact is received from a counterpart, information on the counterpart can be prevented from being displayed on the screen. Hence, it is possible to prevent inadvertent disclosure of counterpart information.

PRIORITY

This application is a continuation application of prior application Ser.No. 13/303,919, filed on Nov. 23, 2011, which has issued as U.S. Pat.No. 9,820,143 on Nov. 14, 2017 and claimed the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) of a Korean patent application filed on Dec. 6, 2010 in theKorean Intellectual Property Office and assigned Serial No.10-2010-0123577, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporatedby reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to privacy protection for a mobileterminal. More particularly, the present invention relates to a privacyprotection method and apparatus for a mobile terminal that preventinformation regarding a counterpart user from being leaked to others.

2. Description of the Related Art

With rapid popularization, mobile terminals have become a necessity ofmodern life. In terms of functionality, mobile terminals have evolvedinto multimedia communication devices that can provide basic voice callservices, data transmission services, and supplementary services.

When a mobile terminal receives a contact such as a call, a ShortMessage Service (SMS) message, a Multimedia Message Service MMS)message, or an e-mail, it also receives caller/sender identificationinformation. For a call, an SMS message, or an MMS message, thecaller/sender identification information may be the phone number of thecaller (i.e., Caller ID). And for an e-mail, the caller/senderidentification information may be the e-mail address of the sender.

When a contact is received, a mobile terminal determines whetheridentification information of the caller or sender is stored, anddisplays, when the identification information of the caller or sender isstored, stored basic information of the caller or sender correspondingto the identification information. For example, when a call is received,the mobile terminal may determine whether the phone number of the calleris stored, and display, when the phone number of the caller is stored,the stored name of the caller corresponding to the phone number.

In the course of using a mobile terminal, the user may wish not todisclose their contacts to others. However, when a contact is received,a regular mobile terminal displays the phone number and/or name of thecounterpart. Hence, information on the counterpart may be inadvertentlydisclosed to others.

During a video call, the user may wish that the image of the user thatis seen by the counterpart user is not disclosed to others. In thiscase, the user may wish that an image other than the image of the useris seen by the counterpart. However, a regular mobile terminal may failto provide this function.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Aspects of the present invention are to address the above-mentionedproblems and/or disadvantages and to provide at least the advantagesdescribed below. Accordingly, an aspect of the present invention is toprovide a privacy protection method for a mobile terminal that preventsinformation regarding a counterpart in contact with the user of themobile terminal from being leaked to others.

Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a privacyprotection method for a mobile terminal that prevents informationregarding the user of the mobile terminal from being leaked to others.

Another aspect of the present invention is to provide an apparatusimplementing the above method.

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, a method ofprivacy protection for a mobile terminal is provided. The methodincludes specifying basic information, privacy protection indication,and fictitious information of a contact item to be recorded in a contactlist, determining, when a contact is received from an external terminal,whether a privacy protection function is activated for the externalterminal, and outputting, when the privacy protection function isactivated for the external terminal, a contact reception screen and acontact handling screen that include pre-specified fictitiousinformation of the external terminal and exclude pre-specified basicinformation thereon.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a mobileterminal supporting privacy protection is provided. The mobile terminalincludes a storage unit for storing a contact list composed of basicinformation, privacy protection indication, and fictitious informationfor each contact item, a wireless communication unit for receiving acontact from an external terminal, a control unit for determiningwhether a privacy protection function is activated for the externalterminal, and a display unit for displaying, when the privacy protectionfunction is activated for the external terminal, pre-specifiedfictitious information of the external terminal excluding pre-specifiedbasic information thereon.

In an exemplary implementation of the present invention, when a contactis received from a counterpart, information of the counterpart may benot displayed. Hence, it is possible to prevent inadvertent leakage ofinformation on the counterpart to others. In addition, during a videocall, a substitute image, instead of the captured image of the user, maybe sent to the counterpart. Hence, it is also possible to preventleakage of information of the user to others.

Other aspects, advantages, and salient features of the invention willbecome apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detaileddescription, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings,discloses exemplary embodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of certainexemplary embodiments of the present invention will be more apparentfrom the following description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a mobile terminal according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 2A and 2B are a flowchart of a privacy protection method for amobile terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a procedure for setting a privacy protectionfunction according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates screen representations of a mobile terminal accordingto an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 5A and 5B are a flowchart of a privacy protection method for amobile terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a procedure for setting a privacy protectionfunction according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;and

FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate screen representations of a mobile terminalaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Throughout the drawings, it should be noted that like reference numbersare used to depict the same or similar elements, features, andstructures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings isprovided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of exemplaryembodiments of the invention as defined by the claims and theirequivalents. It includes various specific details to assist in thatunderstanding but these are to be regarded as merely exemplary.Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize thatvarious changes and modifications of the embodiments described hereincan be made without departing from the scope and spirit of theinvention. In addition, descriptions of well-known functions andconstructions may be omitted for clarity and conciseness.

The terms and words used in the following description and claims are notlimited to the bibliographical meanings, but, are merely used by theinventor to enable a clear and consistent understanding of theinvention. Accordingly, it should be apparent to those skilled in theart that the following description of exemplary embodiments of thepresent invention is provided for illustration purpose only and not forthe purpose of limiting the invention as defined by the appended claimsand their equivalents.

It is to be understood that the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the”include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.Thus, for example, reference to “a component surface” includes referenceto one or more of such surfaces.

In the following description, the word “contact” corresponds tocommunication or information transmission between a user and anotheruser via means such as a call, a Short Message Service (SMS), aMulti-media Message Service (MMS), and e-mail.

“Basic information” of a contact item may be a name, a phone number andan e-mail address. When a contact item is recorded, the basicinformation thereof is entered by default.

“Fictitious information” of a contact item is supplementary informationentered when the privacy protection function is set, and may be anickname, a ringtone, a vibration pattern, and the like. In an exemplaryimplementation, during a video call, fictitious information may be asubstitute image of the caller to be displayed on the called mobileterminal or a substitute image of the callee to be sent to the callingmobile terminal.

“Privacy-protected contact details” refer to details of a contact with acounterpart for whom the privacy protection function is activated.“Regular contact details” refer to details of a contact with acounterpart for whom the privacy protection function is deactivated.

The mobile terminal of the present invention may be a second generationterminal such as a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) terminal or aGlobal System for Mobile communications (GSM) terminal, or be a thirdgeneration terminal such as a Wideband Code Division Multiple Access(WCDMA) terminal.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a mobile terminal according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the mobile terminal includes a wirelesscommunication unit 110, an audio processing unit 120, a camera module130, a storage unit 140, an input unit 150, a display unit 160, and acontrol unit 170.

The wireless communication unit 110 sends and receives data for wirelesscommunication of the mobile terminal. The wireless communication unit110 may include a Radio Frequency (RF) transmitter for upconverting thefrequency of a signal to be transmitted and amplifying the signal, and aradio frequency receiver for low-noise amplifying a received signal anddownconverting the frequency of the signal. The wireless communicationunit 110 may receive data through a wireless channel and forward thereceived data to the control unit 170, and may transmit data from thecontrol unit 170 through the wireless channel. More particularly, thewireless communication unit 110 receives a contact such as a call, anSMS message, an MMS message or an e-mail from an external mobileterminal and forwards the received data to the control unit 170. Duringa video call, the wireless communication unit 110 receives images of thecaller from an external mobile terminal and sends images of the usercaptured by the camera module 130 to the external mobile terminal. Whenthe privacy protection function is activated in relation to the externalmobile terminal, the wireless communication unit 110 sends a presetsubstitute image of the callee to the external mobile terminal.

The audio processing unit 120 may include a coder/decoder (codec). Thecodec may include a data codec for processing packet data, and an audiocodec for processing an audio signal such as a voice signal. The audioprocessing unit 120 converts a digital audio signal into an analog audiosignal through the audio codec and outputs the analog audio signal to aspeaker. The audio processing unit 120 also converts an analog audiosignal from a microphone into a digital audio signal through the audiocodec. More particularly, when the privacy protection function isactivated in relation to an external mobile terminal in contact with themobile terminal, the audio processing unit 120 outputs a ringtone setfor privacy protection.

The camera module 130 includes a camera sensor (not shown) for capturingan image of a target object and converting an optical signalcorresponding to the captured image into an electrical signal, and asignal processor (not shown) for converting the analog electrical signalinto digital data. The camera sensor may be a Charge-Coupled Device(CCD) sensor or a Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS) sensor,and the signal processor may be a Digital Signal Processor (DSP). Thecamera sensor and the signal processor may be realized as separateentities or as a single entity. More particularly, during a video call,the camera module 130 captures an image of the user and forwards thecaptured image to the control unit 170.

The storage unit 140 stores programs and data necessary for operation ofthe mobile terminal, and may include a program region and a data region.The program region may store a control program for controlling theoverall operation of the mobile terminal, an Operating System (OS) forbooting the mobile terminal, an application program for playing backmultimedia content, and application programs necessary for optionalfunctions of the mobile terminal related to photography, sound, andstill and moving images. The data region may store data generated in thecourse of using the mobile terminal, such as still images, movingimages, phonebooks, audio data, and the like. More particularly, thestorage unit 140 includes a contact list store 141 and a contact detailsstore 142.

The contact list store 141 stores basic information such as phonenumbers, names, e-mail addresses, privacy protection indications, andfictitious information such as nicknames and ringtones for privacyprotection. In an exemplary implementation, the contact list store 141may store a caller substitute image to be displayed during a video callwith a particular caller, and a callee substitute image to be sent to acalling terminal during a video call. The contact details store 142stores details of contacts made by the mobile terminal. The contactdetails store 142 may store privacy-protected contact details andregular contact details. The privacy-protected contact details aredetails of contacts made in connection with those counterparts whoseprivacy protection indications of the contact list store 141 are set(the privacy protection function is activated). The regular contactdetails are details of contacts made in connection with thosecounterparts whose privacy protection indications of the contact liststore 141 are not set (the privacy protection function is deactivated).

The input unit 150 generates a key signal corresponding to usermanipulation for controlling the mobile terminal and sends the keysignal to the control unit 170. The input unit 150 may include a keypadhaving alphanumeric and direction keys arranged in a 3×4 or Qwertylayout, or a touch panel. The input unit 150 may further include abutton key, a jog key, a wheel key, and the like. The input unit 150generates an input signal for executing an application (e.g., related tocall handling, music playback, reproduction of still and moving images,photographs, Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB) reception or thelike) according to user input, and sends the input signal to the controlunit 170. More particularly, when recording a contact item, the user mayspecify a privacy protection indication, a nickname and a ringtone forthe contact item.

The display unit 160 may be realized using Liquid Crystal Display (LCDs)devices, Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs), or Active Matrix OrganicLight Emitting Diodes (AMOLEDs). The display unit 160 provides the userwith various information such as menus, input data, function-settingdata, and the like in a visible form. The display unit 160 may output aboot screen, an idle screen, a menu screen, a call handling screen, andother application screens.

The display unit 160 displays a contact setting menu enabling the userto record a contact item. The contact setting menu may include a namefield, a phone number field, a privacy protection indication field, anickname field, and a ringtone field. Here, the privacy protectionindication field, nickname field and ringtone field may be separatelygrouped as a privacy protection setting menu. In another exemplaryembodiment, the contact setting menu may include a name field, a phonenumber field, a privacy protection indication field, a caller substituteimage field, and a callee substitute image field. Here, the privacyprotection indication field, caller substitute image field, and calleesubstitute image field may be separately grouped as a privacy protectionsetting menu. When a contact is received from a caller for whom theprivacy protection function is activated, the display unit 160 displaysthe stored caller name. When a video call is in progress with a callerfor whom the privacy protection function is activated, the display unit160 displays a pre-stored caller substitute image instead of imageinformation coming from the caller and displays a pre-stored calleesubstitute image instead of a user image captured by the camera module130.

The control unit 170 controls overall operations of the components ofthe mobile terminal. More particularly, the control unit 170 setsprivacy protection indications using the contact setting menu accordingto user input. When the contact setting menu is selected by the userthrough the input unit 150, the control unit 170 controls the displayunit 160 to display the contact setting menu having a name field, aphone number field, a privacy protection indication field, a nicknamefield and a ringtone field. When the user enters a setting completionkey through the input unit 150, the control unit 170 stores informationentered by the user in the contact list store 141. When a contact isreceived from an external terminal through the wireless communicationunit 110, the control unit 170 extracts the identification informationof the external terminal and determines whether the identificationinformation is stored in the contact list store 141. When theidentification information is stored in the contact list store 141, thecontrol unit 170 determines whether the privacy protection function isactivated for the external terminal. When the privacy protectionfunction is activated for the external terminal, the control unit 170controls the display unit 160 to display the nickname stored for theexternal terminal instead of basic information such as name and phonenumber of the external terminal. In addition, the control unit 170 maycontrol the display unit 160 to display a phrase such as “Caller IDSuppression” and control the audio processing unit 120 to output aringtone preset for the external terminal. Here, the ringtone is aringtone set for privacy protection.

The control unit 170 handles the call from the external terminal throughthe wireless communication unit 110. When the user enters a calltermination command through the input unit 150, the control unit 170stores details of the call as part of the privacy-protected contactdetails. When the user enters a command for viewing contact details, thecontrol unit 170 controls the display unit 160 to display the regularcontact details without display of the privacy-protected contactdetails. When the user enters a command for viewing privacy-protectedcontact details, the control unit 170 controls the display unit 160 todisplay a password input field, and displays, when a correct password isentered, the privacy-protected contact details. Here, theprivacy-protected contact details may be displayed using basicinformation such as names and phone numbers stored in the contact liststore 141 and further using nicknames.

In another exemplary embodiment, when the contact setting menu isselected for privacy protection, the control unit 170 controls thedisplay unit 160 to display the contact setting menu having a namefield, a phone number field, a privacy protection indication field, acaller substitute image field, and a callee substitute image field. Thecontrol unit 170 stores information entered by the user in the contactlist store 141. When a video call connection request is received from anexternal terminal through the wireless communication unit 110, thecontrol unit 170 extracts the identification information of the externalterminal and determines whether the privacy protection function isactivated for the external terminal. When the privacy protectionfunction is activated for the external terminal, the control unit 170controls the display unit 160 to display a video call receptionnotification without a name or phone number. When the user enters ananswer command through the input unit 150, the control unit 170 controlsthe wireless communication unit 110 to process the video call andcontrols the display unit 160 to display the caller substitute image, akey for cancelling caller ID suppression and a key for cancelling calleeID suppression. In addition, the control unit 170 controls the wirelesscommunication unit 110 to send a callee substitute image having anotification indicating activation of the privacy protection function tothe external terminal. During display of video call images, the controlunit 170 displays a callee substitute image having a notificationindicating activation of the privacy protection function in a region ofthe display unit 160. When the key for cancelling caller ID suppressionis entered through the input unit 150, the control unit 170 controls thedisplay unit 160 to display images of the caller coming from theexternal terminal. When the key for cancelling callee ID suppression isentered through the input unit 150, the control unit 170 controls thewireless communication unit 110 to send images of the callee captured bythe camera module 130 to the external terminal.

Hereinabove, a description has been given of an exemplary configurationof a mobile terminal supporting a privacy protection method of thepresent invention. Below, the privacy protection method will bedescribed in more detail.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are a flowchart of a privacy protection method for amobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. InFIGS. 2A and 2B, the contact corresponds to a voice call. However, FIGS.2A and 2B may also be applicable to an SMS, an MMS and an e-mail.

Referring to FIG. 2A, the control unit 170 of the mobile terminal setsthe privacy protection function using a contact setting menu in step201. The contact management feature of the mobile terminal includes theprivacy protection function, and the control unit 170 sets the privacyprotection function according to information entered by the user. Step201 is depicted in more detail in FIG. 3.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a procedure for setting a privacy protectionfunction according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, the control unit 170 receives a user input forselecting the contact setting menu through the input unit 150 in step301. In an exemplary implementation, the mobile terminal may provide thecontact setting menu by default, and the user may select the contactsetting menu through the input unit 150 to record a contact item. Morespecifically, the user may select the contact setting menu through theinput unit 150 and enter a key for recording a new contact item.Alternatively, the user may select an existing contact item and enter anedit key.

After selection of the contact setting menu, the control unit 170controls the display unit 160 to display the contact setting menu havinga name field, a phone number field, a privacy protection indicationfield, a nickname field and a ringtone field in step 302. Here, theprivacy protection indication field, nickname field and ringtone fieldmay be separately grouped as a privacy protection setting menu. Thecontact setting menu may have two ringtone fields: one for a defaultringtone and another for privacy protection. At step 302, the controlunit 170 may control the display unit 160 to display a name field, aphone number field and a privacy protection indication field first, anddisplay, when the user sets the privacy protection indication to “on”, anickname field and a ringtone field. The control unit 170 may controlthe display unit 160 to further display a vibration pattern field forprivacy protection. The control unit 170 may control the display unit160 to display one or more of a nickname field, a ringtone field and avibration pattern field for privacy protection.

FIG. 4 illustrates screen representations of a mobile terminal accordingto an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, screen [a] illustrates a contact setting menu,which includes a name field, a phone number field, a photograph field, aprivacy protection indication field, a nickname field and a ringtonefield. Here, the ringtone field is for privacy protection. Anotherringtone field may be included in the menu. Although screen [a] includesboth a nickname field and a ringtone field, it may include only onethereof or may further include a vibration pattern field. At initialdisplay of the contact setting menu, the privacy protection indicationfield may be set to “off”, and the nickname field and ringtone field maybe hidden. After the user sets the privacy protection indication fieldto “on”, the nickname field and ringtone field may be shown. In screen[a], the name field is set to “Kim chulsoo”, the phone number field isset to “010-7766-6677”, the privacy protection indication field is setto “on”, the nickname field is set to “Charles” and the ringtone fieldis set to “ringtone 1”. Of course, it is to be understood that thesevalues are merely for example and sake of description.

Referring back to FIG. 3, the control unit 170 stores settinginformation entered by the user in the contact list store 141 in step303. The user enters information using the contact setting menu throughthe input unit 150. The user may enter at least one of a nickname,ringtone and vibration pattern using the contact setting menu. Theinformation entered by the user is stored in the contact list store 141and is used when the privacy protection function is activated.

Referring back to FIG. 2A, the control unit 170 determines whether acall connection request is received through the wireless communicationunit 110 in step 202. When a call connection request is received, thecontrol unit 170 identifies the phone number of the caller in step 203.The mobile terminal receives a call connection request carrying thephone number of the caller. The control unit 170 determines whether thephone number is stored in the contact list store 141 in step 204. Thatis, the control unit 170 searches the contact list store 141 for thephone number.

When it is determined in step 204 that the phone number of the caller isstored in the contact list store 141, the control unit 170 determineswhether the privacy protection function is activated for the caller instep 205. When it is determined in step 205 that the privacy protectionfunction is activated for the caller, the control unit 170 controls thedisplay unit 160 to display a nickname pre-stored for the caller andcontrols the audio processing unit 120 to output a ringtone pre-storedfor the caller in step 206. Here, the control unit 170 controls anoperation not to display a pre-stored name and phone number of thecaller. In an exemplary implementation, the control unit 170 may controlthe display unit 160 to display a nickname pre-stored for the caller andcontrol the audio processing unit 120 to output a default ringtone (aringtone not for privacy protection). The control unit 170 may controlthe display unit 160 to display a phrase “Caller ID Suppression” andcontrol the audio processing unit 120 to output a ringtone preset forprivacy protection. When a vibration pattern is set for the caller inthe contact list store 141, the control unit 170 may control a vibrationmotor (not shown) to produce vibrations according to the vibrationpattern. When a nickname for privacy protection is not specified for thecaller, the control unit 170 may control the display unit 160 to displaya phrase “Caller ID Suppression”.

In FIG. 4, screen [b] depicts a situation when a call connection requestis received. In screen [b], for privacy protection, a nickname “Charles”of the caller is displayed and output of a ringtone “ringtone 1” isindicated. In screen [b], the name “Kim chulsoo” and the phone number“010-7766-6677” are not displayed.

When the user enters a command to accept the call request through theinput unit 150, the control unit 170 recognizes the command in step 207,and controls the wireless communication unit 110 to establish the callin step 208. During the call, the control unit 170 controls the displayunit 160 to display a call handling screen including one of the nicknameof the caller or a phrase “Caller ID Suppression” but not including thename or phone number of the caller. The control unit 170 determineswhether a call termination command is entered in step 209. When it isdetermined in step 209 that a call termination command is entered, thecontrol unit 170 records details of the call with the caller as part ofprivacy-protected contact details in the contact details store 142 instep 210. When a call termination command is not entered, the controlunit 170 returns to step 208 and continues call processing through thewireless communication unit 110.

When it is determined in step 204 that the phone number of the caller isnot stored in the contact list store 141, the control unit 170 controlsthe display unit 160 to display the phone number of the caller in step211. As no information on the caller is stored in the contact list store141, the control unit 170 controls the display unit 160 to display acall reception indication including the phone number of the caller. Whenthe user enters a command to accept the call request through the inputunit 150, the control unit 170 recognizes the command in step 212, andcontrols the wireless communication unit 110 to establish the call instep 213. During the call, the control unit 170 controls the displayunit 160 to display a call handling screen including the phone number ofthe caller. The control unit 170 determines whether a call terminationcommand is entered in step 214. When it is determined in step 214 that acall termination command is entered, the control unit 170 recordsdetails of the call with the caller as part of regular contact detailsin the contact details store 142 in step 215. When a call terminationcommand is not entered, the control unit 170 returns to step 213 andcontinues call processing through the wireless communication unit 110.

When it is determined in step 205 that the privacy protection functionis not activated for the caller, the control unit 170 controls thedisplay unit 160 to display the name and phone number of the caller instep 216. That is, the control unit 170 controls the display unit 160 todisplay a call reception indication including the name and phone numberof the caller. When the user enters a command to accept the call requestthrough the input unit 150, the control unit 170 recognizes the commandin step 212, and controls the wireless communication unit 110 toestablish the call in step 213. During the call, the control unit 170controls the display unit 160 to display a call handling screenincluding the name and phone number of the caller. When an image of thecaller is stored in the contact list store 141, the control unit 170controls the display unit 160 to further display the caller image. Whena call termination command is entered in step 214, the control unit 170records details of the call with the caller as part of regular contactdetails in the contact details store 142 in step 215.

In an exemplary implementation, details of a call with a caller for whomthe privacy protection function is activated are recorded as part ofprivacy-protected contact details, and details of a call with a callerfor whom the privacy protection function is deactivated are recorded aspart of regular contact details. When the user selects a contact detailview menu of the mobile terminal, the control unit 170 controls thedisplay unit 160 to display the regular contact details only. The screendisplaying the regular contact details may include a sub-menu forviewing the privacy-protected contact details. When the user selects thesub-menu, the control unit 170 controls the display unit 160 to displaya password input field. When a correct password is entered by the user,the control unit 170 controls the display unit 160 to display theprivacy-protected contact details. Here, the privacy-protected contactdetails may include names, phone numbers and nicknames of callers.

In FIG. 4, screen [c] corresponds to a screen displayed when the userselects viewing of the contact details, and screen [d] corresponds to ascreen displayed when the user selects viewing of the privacy-protectedcontact details.

Screen [c] of FIG. 4 illustrates details of calls with counterparts “Kimmijung” and “Shin sinae” for whom the privacy protection function isdeactivated (off), and screen [d] illustrates details of calls with acounterpart “Kim chulsoo” for whom the privacy protection function isactivated (on). That is, when the user selects the contact detail viewmenu among main menus of the mobile terminal, only details of calls withcounterparts for whom the privacy protection function is deactivated aredisplayed. Hence, it is possible to prevent inadvertent disclosure ofdetails of calls with counterparts for whom the privacy protectionfunction is activated.

In the case where the contact corresponds to an e-mail, the control unit170 receives an e-mail from a sending terminal through the wirelesscommunication unit 110 and examines the header of the received e-mail toidentify the e-mail address of the sender. The control unit 170determines whether the e-mail address is stored in the contact liststore 141. When the e-mail address is stored in the contact list store141, the control unit 170 determines whether the privacy protectionfunction is activated in relation to the e-mail address. When theprivacy protection function is activated, the control unit 170 controlsthe display unit 160 to display only the nickname preset for the e-mailaddress (does not display the e-mail address and name of the sender).Later, when the user selects the e-mail reception box (Inbox), thecontrol unit 170 controls the display unit 160 to display a list ofe-mails received only from counterparts for whom the privacy protectionfunction is deactivated. The mobile terminal provides an e-mail menu forprivacy protection. When the user selects the privacy-protected e-mailreception box, the control unit 170 controls the display unit 160 todisplay a password input field. When the user enters the correctpassword, the control unit 170 controls an operation to display a listof e-mails recorded in the privacy-protected e-mail reception box.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are a flowchart of a privacy protection method for amobile terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention. In FIGS. 5A and 5B, the contact corresponds to a video call.

Referring to FIG. 5A, the control unit 170 of the mobile terminal setsthe privacy protection function using a contact setting menu in step501. Step 501 is depicted in more detail in FIG. 6.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a procedure for setting a privacy protectionfunction according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6, the control unit 170 receives a user input forselecting the contact setting menu through the input unit 150 in step601. The user selects the contact setting menu through the input unit150 and enters a key for recording a new contact item. Alternatively,the user may select an existing contact item and enter an edit key.

After selection of the contact setting menu, the control unit 170controls the display unit 160 to display the contact setting menu havinga name field, a phone number field, a privacy protection indicationfield, a caller substitute image field, and a callee substitute imagefield in step 602. Here, the privacy protection indication field, callersubstitute image field, and callee substitute image field may beseparately grouped as a privacy protection setting menu. At step 602,the control unit 170 may control the display unit 160 to display a namefield, a phone number field and a privacy protection indication fieldfirst, and display, when the user set the privacy protection indicationto “on”, a caller substitute image field and a callee substitute imagefield. The control unit 170 may control the display unit 160 to displayone of a caller substitute image field and a callee substitute imagefield for privacy protection.

FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate screen representations of a mobile terminalaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 7A, screen [a] illustrates a contact setting menu, whichincludes a name field, a phone number field, a photograph field, aprivacy protection indication field, a caller substitute image field anda callee substitute image field. Although screen [a] includes both acaller substitute image field (“Kim chulsoo substitute image”) and acallee substitute image field (“My substitute image”), it may includeonly one thereof. At initial display of the contact setting menu, theprivacy protection indication field may be set to “off”, and the callersubstitute image field and the callee substitute image field may behidden. After the user sets the privacy protection indication field to“on”, the caller substitute image field and the callee substitute imagefield may be shown. In screen [a], the name field is set to “Kimchulsoo”, the phone number field is set to “010-7766-6677”, the privacyprotection indication field is set to “on”, the caller substitute imagefield is set to a character image, and the callee substitute image fieldis set to another character image.

Referring back to FIG. 6, the control unit 170 stores settinginformation entered by the user in the contact list store 141 in step603. The user enters information using the contact setting menu throughthe input unit 150. The user may specify one or both of a callersubstitute image and a callee substitute image using the contact settingmenu. The information entered by the user is stored in the contact liststore 141, and used when the privacy protection function is activated.

Referring back to FIG. 5A, the control unit 170 determines whether avideo call connection request is received through the wirelesscommunication unit 110 in step 502. When it is determined in step 502that a video call connection request is received, the control unit 170identifies the phone number of the caller in step 503 and determineswhether the phone number is stored in the contact list store 141 in step504. In an exemplary implementation, the control unit 170 searches thecontact list store 141 for the phone number of the caller.

When it is determined in step 504 that the phone number of the caller isstored in the contact list store 141, the control unit 170 determineswhether the privacy protection function is activated for the caller instep 505. When it is determined in step 505 that the privacy protectionfunction is activated for the caller, the control unit 170 controls thedisplay unit 160 to display a video call reception indication notincluding the name or phone number of the caller in step 506. Here, thecontrol unit 170 may control the display unit 160 to display a videocall reception indication including phrases “Caller ID Suppression” and“Video Call Reception”. When a nickname, ringtone and a vibrationpattern are specified for the caller, the control unit 170 may controlthe display unit 160, the audio processing unit 120 and a vibrationmotor (not shown) to respectively output the nickname, ringtone andvibration.

In FIG. 7A, screen [b] depicts a situation when a video call connectionrequest is received. In screen [b], a video call reception indicationincluding phrases “Caller ID Suppression” and “Video Call Reception” isdisplayed. In screen [b], the name “Kim chulsoo” and the phone number“010-7766-6677” of the caller are not displayed.

When the user enters a command to accept the call request through theinput unit 150, the control unit 170 recognizes the command in step 507,and controls the wireless communication unit 110 to establish the videocall in step 508. At step 508, during the call, the control unit 170controls the display unit 160 to display a video call handling screenincluding the caller substitute image and keys for “disabling caller IDsuppression” and “disabling callee ID suppression”.

The control unit 170 controls the wireless communication unit 110 tosend the callee substitute image having a phrase “Private Conversation”to the calling terminal in step 509. That is, the control unit 170 sendsthe callee substitute image carrying an indication of activation of theprivacy protection function to the calling terminal. Here, the controlunit 170 may display the callee substitute image having a phrase“Private Conversation” in a region of the display unit 160. In anexemplary implementation, step 509 may be performed before step 508.

During the call, the control unit 170 determines whether the key for“disabling caller ID suppression” is entered through the input unit 150in step 510. When it is determined in step 510 that the key for“disabling caller ID suppression” is entered, the control unit 170controls the display unit 160 to display caller images coming from thecalling terminal in step 511. When it is determined in step 510 that thekey for “disabling caller ID suppression” is not entered, the controlunit 170 determines whether the key for “disabling callee IDsuppression” is entered through the input unit 150 in step 512. When itis determined in step 512 that the key for “disabling callee IDsuppression” is entered, the control unit 170 controls the wirelesscommunication unit 110 to send images of the user (callee images)captured by the camera module 130 to the calling terminal in step 513.On the display unit of the calling terminal, the callee substitute imageis replaced by callee images. Also, on the display unit 160 of themobile terminal, the callee substitute image is replaced by calleeimages.

When it is determined in step 504 that the phone number of the caller isnot stored in the contact list store 141, the control unit 170 controlsthe display unit 160 to display the phone number of the caller in step514. That is, the control unit 170 controls the display unit 160 todisplay a video call reception indication including the phone number ofthe caller. When the user enters a command to accept the call request,the control unit 170 recognizes the command in step 515 and controls thewireless communication unit 110 to set up the video call in step 516. Atstep 516, during the video call, the control unit 170 controls thedisplay unit 160 to display caller images coming from the callingterminal and controls the wireless communication unit 110 to send calleeimages captured by the camera module 130 to the calling terminal. Thecallee images are displayed in a region of the display unit 160.

When it is determined in step 505 that the privacy protection functionis not activated for the caller, the control unit 170 controls thedisplay unit 160 to display the name and phone number of the caller instep 517. That is, the control unit 170 controls the display unit 160 todisplay a video call reception indication including the name and phonenumber of the caller. The control unit 170 proceeds to step 515 tocontinue video call processing.

In FIGS. 7A and 7B, screens [c] to [e] correspond to screens displayedduring a video call.

In screen [c] of FIG. 7A, as the privacy protection function isactivated for the caller “Kim chulsoo”, a preset substitute image isdisplayed instead of a caller image and callee image. In a region forthe callee image, “My substitute image” preset by screen [a] of FIG. 7Aand a phrase “Private Conversation” are displayed. In a region for thecaller image, “Kim chulsoo substitute image” preset by screen [a] ofFIG. 7A is displayed.

Screen [d] of FIG. 7B is a result of entering the key for “disablingcaller ID suppression” at screen [c] of FIG. 7A. In screen [d], theimage of “Kim chulsoo” from the calling terminal is displayed and thekey for “disabling caller ID suppression” is replaced by the key for“enabling caller ID suppression”.

Screen [e] of FIG. 7B is a result of entering the key for “disablingcallee ID suppression” at screen [d] of FIG. 7B. In screen [e], the userimage captured by the camera module 130 is displayed and the key for“disabling callee ID suppression” is replaced by the key for “enablingcallee ID suppression”.

According to exemplary embodiments of the present invention, when acontact is received from a counterpart, information on the counterpartcan be prevented from being displayed on the screen. Hence, it ispossible to prevent inadvertent disclosure of counterpart information.In addition, during a video call, a substitute image other than acaptured image of the user may be sent to the counterpart. Hence, it isalso possible to prevent inadvertent disclosure of user information.

While the invention has been shown and described with reference tocertain exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by thoseskilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be madetherein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention asdefined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

1.-20. (canceled)
 21. A portable electronic device comprising: a memoryadapted to store contact information corresponding to a contact, thecontact information including a name, a telephone number and a nicknamecorresponding to the contact; communication circuitry; a touchscreendisplay; and a processor adapted to: receive, via the communicationcircuitry, a message corresponding to a specified application from anexternal electronic device corresponding to the contact, display, viathe touchscreen display, the nickname as associated with at least partof the message in a user interface corresponding to the specifiedapplication, the displaying including refraining from displaying thename or the telephone number as associated with the at least part of themessage in the user interface, receive an input with respect to the userinterface while the at least part of the message is displayed in theuser interface, and display, in response to the receiving of the input,the nickname, the name, and the telephone number concurrently in theuser interface, as associated with the at least part of the message. 22.The portable electronic device of claim 21, wherein the memory isfurther adapted to store an email address corresponding to the contactas part of the contact information, wherein the specified applicationincludes an email application, wherein the message includesidentification information corresponding to the contact and to be usedby the email application, and wherein the processor is further adaptedto: perform the displaying of the nickname based at least in part on adetermination that the identification information included in themessage corresponds to the email address stored in the memory as part ofthe contact information.
 23. The portable electronic device of claim 22,wherein the processor is further adapted to: refrain from displaying theemail address as associated with the at least part of the message inrelation with the performing of the displaying of the nickname.
 24. Theportable electronic device of claim 22, wherein the processor is furtheradapted to: display the email address concurrently with the nickname,the name, and the telephone number in response to the receiving of theinput.
 25. The portable electronic device of claim 21, wherein thespecified application includes a short message service application,wherein the message includes identification information corresponding tothe contact and to be used by the short message service application, andwherein the processor is further adapted to: perform the displaying ofthe nickname based at least in part on a determination that theidentification information included in the message corresponds to thetelephone number stored in the memory as part of the contactinformation.
 26. The portable electronic device of claim 21, wherein theuser interface includes a name field to receive or present the name, andwherein the processor is further adapted to: perform the displaying ofthe nickname such that the nickname is to be displayed in the namefield.
 27. The portable electronic device of claim 21, wherein thecontact information is generated using a contact application, andwherein the processor is further adapted to: perform the displaying ofthe nickname based at least in part on a determination that use of thenickname is activated with respect to the contact application.
 28. Theportable electronic device of claim 27, wherein the processor is furtheradapted to: activate the use of the nickname with respect to the contactapplication in response to a user input, and display, based at least inpart on the activating, a nickname field to receive the nickname from auser.
 29. The portable electronic device of claim 28, wherein thecontact application supports another user interface including a namefield to receive the name from the user and a telephone number field toreceive the telephone number from the user, and wherein the processor isfurther adapted to: display the nickname field concurrently with thename field and the telephone number field in the other user interface.30. The portable electronic device of claim 27, wherein the processor isfurther adapted to: display the name or the telephone number asassociated with the at least part of the message in the user interfacebased at least in part on a determination that the use of the nicknameis deactivated.
 31. A portable electronic device comprising: a memoryadapted to store contact information corresponding to a contact, thecontact information including a name and a telephone numbercorresponding to the contact; communication circuitry; a touchscreendisplay; and a processor adapted to: receive, via the touchscreendisplay, an input to activate use of a nickname with respect to a userinterface corresponding to a contact application, display a screen toreceive the nickname in the user interface in response to the receivingof the input, store the nickname received via the screen as associatedwith the contact information, receive, via the communication circuitry,a message corresponding to a specified application from an externalelectronic device corresponding to the contact, and display, via thetouchscreen display, the nickname as associated with at least part ofthe message in another user interface corresponding to the specifiedapplication based at least in part on a determination that the use ofthe nickname is activated, the displaying including refraining fromdisplaying the name or the telephone number as associated with the atleast part of the message in the other user interface.
 32. The portableelectronic device of claim 31, wherein the user interface includes aname field to receive the name from the user and a telephone numberfield to receive the telephone number from the user, and wherein theprocessor is further adapted to: display, in response to the receivingof the input, a nickname field to receive the nickname concurrently withthe name field and the telephone number field in the user interface. 33.The portable electronic device of claim 31, wherein the memory stores anemail address corresponding to the contact as part of the contactinformation, wherein the specified application includes an emailapplication, wherein the message includes identification informationcorresponding to the contact and to be used by the email application,and wherein the processor is further adapted to: perform the displayingof the nickname based at least in part on a determination that theidentification information included in the message corresponds to theemail address stored in the memory as part of the contact information.34. The portable electronic device of claim 33, wherein the processor isfurther adapted to: refrain from displaying the email address asassociated with the at least part of the message in relation with theperforming of the displaying of the nickname.
 35. The portableelectronic device of claim 31, wherein the specified applicationincludes a short message service application, wherein the messageincludes identification information corresponding to the contact and tobe used by the short message service application, and wherein theprocessor is further adapted to: perform the displaying of the nicknamebased at least in part on a determination that the identificationinformation included in the message corresponds to the telephone numberstored in the memory as part of the contact information.
 36. Theportable electronic device of claim 31, wherein the processor is furtheradapted to: display the name or the telephone number as associated withthe at least part of the message in the other user interface based atleast in part on a determination that the use of the nickname isdeactivated.
 37. The portable electronic device of claim 31, wherein theprocessor is further adapted to: receive another input with respect tothe other user interface while the at least part of the message isdisplayed in the user interface, and display, in response to thereceiving of the other input, the name and the telephone numberconcurrently in the other user interface, as associated with the atleast part of the message.
 38. A non-transitory machine-readable storagedevice storing instructions that, when executed by one or moreprocessors, cause the one or more processors to perform operationscomprising: receiving, using communication circuity operatively coupledwith the one or more processors, a message corresponding to a specifiedapplication from an external electronic device corresponding to acontact; displaying, using a touchscreen display operatively coupledwith the one or more processors, a nickname corresponding to the contactas associated with at least part of the message in a user interfacecorresponding to the specified application, the displaying includingrefraining from displaying a name or a telephone number corresponding tothe contact as associated with the at least part of the message in theuser interface; receiving an input with respect to the user interfacewhile the at least part of the message is displayed in the userinterface; and displaying, in response to the receiving of the input,the nickname, the name, and the telephone number concurrently in theuser interface, as associated with the at least part of the message. 39.The non-transitory machine-readable storage device of claim 38, whereinthe displaying of the nickname is to be performed based at least in parton a determination that use of the nickname is activated.
 40. Thenon-transitory machine-readable storage device of claim 39, wherein theoperations further comprise: displaying the name or the telephone numberas associated with the at least part of the message in the userinterface based at least in part on a determination that the use of thenickname is deactivated.